Iron is necessary for human life. Most of the iron in your body exists in the red blood cells to allow for oxygenation of the body. Iron is also necessary for producing a substance known as adenosine triphosphate, the body's natural energy source. A gastric bypass is a surgical procedure used to induce rapid weight loss in patients who are obese. Gastric bypass surgery changes your digestive system, which can result in limited vitamin and mineral absorption.
Iron Absorption
Your body does not make iron, and so you must consume iron in foods and dietary supplements. Red meat, tuna, salmon, whole grains, dried beans and liver are all good sources of dietary iron. When you consume these foods, your body absorbs the iron in a part of the small intestine known as the duodenum and upper jejunum. Your body stores excess iron in the liver, bone marrow, muscles and spleen.
Gastric Bypass Surgery
Surgeons perform a gastric bypass under general anesthesia in a hospital setting. During this procedure, a surgeon staples the stomach across the top, closing it off from the rest of the stomach. The resulting pouch is approximately the size of a walnut, according to MayoClinic.com. The surgeon will then physically separate the pouch from the rest of the stomach and cuts the small intestine, sewing it directly to the bottom of the pouch. This means food will bypass most of the stomach and the first part of the small intestine, the duodenum. With food now entering directly into the second portion of the small intestine, the body will absorb only limited calories.
Iron Deficiency Anemia
The World Health Organization explains that iron deficiency affects more than 3.5 billion people worldwide. People who have undergone gastric bypass surgery are at an increased risk for iron deficiency because surgeons have rerouted food away from where most of the iron absorption takes place. Iron deficiency can lead to anemia, a lack of red blood cells. Iron-deficiency anemia can cause pale skin, fatigue, increased heart rate, enlargement of the spleen, irritability and a sore and swollen tongue. Vitamin deficiency anemia may also cause a condition known as pica in which people feel a strong compulsion to eat substances such as dirt and ice.
Treatment
Physicians will often treat a typical iron deficiency with oral iron supplements. However, people who develop iron-deficiency anemia following a gastric bypass will often need intravenous iron because their bodies cannot absorb iron supplements taken orally.
Prevention
While the intestine only absorbs limited amounts of iron following gastric bypass surgery, physicians still recommend eating a diet high in iron. Physicians will check iron and hemoglobin levels frequently to monitor for signs of deficiency.
Member Comments